Bacterial wound culture obtained from incision site: No growth of any pathogenic organism. Vacuum assisted closure of the superficial sternal wound was applied and the patient made an uneventful recovery.

Key points:

• median sternotomy, the most commonly used incision for open cardiac surgery, carries a 0.5-5% risk of serious complications
• sternal dehiscence is a common precursor to deep sternal wound infection (mediastinitis)
• CT is the modality of choice in evaluation of complications after sternotomy